How to resolve `Requested setting INSTALLED_APPS, but settings are not configured.` error in Django?

Question

I have the following error when i run the views.py file. Note that it worked properly before I imported the ratesEUR model:

views.py (as per @sayse's reply):

from django.shortcuts import render
from models import ratesEUR
import json
import requests

def my_view(request):

response = requests.get("http://data.fixer.io/api/latest?access_key=XXX&base=EUR")

    rates_EUR = json.loads(response.content.decode('utf-8'))
    timestamp = rates_EUR['timestamp']
    base = rates_EUR['base']
    date = rates_EUR['date']
    rates = rates_EUR['rates']
    id = 1

    rates_new = ratesEUR(id=id, timestamp=timestamp, base=base, date=date, rates=rates)
    rates_new.save()

    return response(data={})

according error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\Desktop\dashex\Quotes_app\views.py", line 2, in <module>
    from models import ratesEUR
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\Desktop\dashex\Quotes_app\models.py", line 4, in <module>
    class ratesEUR(models.Model):
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37-32\lib\site-packages\django\db\models\base.py", line 103, in __new__
    app_config = apps.get_containing_app_config(module)
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37-32\lib\site-packages\django\apps\registry.py", line 252, in get_containing_app_config
    self.check_apps_ready()
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37-32\lib\site-packages\django\apps\registry.py", line 134, in check_apps_ready
    settings.INSTALLED_APPS
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37-32\lib\site-packages\django\conf\__init__.py", line 79, in __getattr__
    self._setup(name)
  File "C:\Users\Jonas\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37-32\lib\site-packages\django\conf\__init__.py", line 64, in _setup
    % (desc, ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLE))
django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: Requested setting INSTALLED_APPS, but settings are not configured. You must either define the environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE or call settings.configure() before accessing settings.
[Finished in 0.41s]

models.py:

from django.db import models


class ratesEUR(models.Model):
    timestamp = models.CharField(max_length=10)
    base = models.CharField(max_length=3)
    date = models.DateField(auto_now=False, auto_now_add=False)
    rates = models.CharField(max_length=8)

    def __str__(self):
        return self.base

settings.py:

import os.path
import os

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))


# Static files (CSS, JavaScript, Images)
# https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/2.2/howto/static-files/


STATIC_ROOT = ''
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = (os.path.join('static'), )


# Quick-start development settings - unsuitable for production
# See https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/2.2/howto/deployment/checklist/

# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
DEBUG = True

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["127.0.0.1", "locahost"]


# Application definition

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'Quotes_app',
    'Wiki_app',
    'rest_framework',
]

Project dir:

What I have already tried:

• Insert and save export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=dashex.settings to the bottom of the code in venv/bin/activate but I don't have such directory in myvirtualenv folder at all.

Link: ImproperlyConfigured: You must either define the environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE or call settings.configure() before accessing settings

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• running export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=dashex.settings. This resulted in a syntax error within my shell.

Link: ImproperlyConfigured: Requested setting INSTALLED_APPS, but settings are not configured - Scraper

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• Inserted DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE = DASHEX.settings into my settings.py file according to the official Django documentation, but that didn't have any effect.

Link: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/topics/settings/#designating-the-settings

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So where and how can I define the environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE as suggested in the error itself to -probably- resolve this issue?

In advance thank you very much for your assistance!

Answer 1

Your view, isn't a view, its just code that will be ran when first importing from views.py, you need to make it a view

def my_view(request):

    response = requests.get("http://data.fixer.io/api/latest?access_key=XXX&base=EUR")

    rates_EUR = json.loads(response.content.decode('utf-8'))
    timestamp = rates_EUR['timestamp']
    base = rates_EUR['base']
    date = rates_EUR['date']
    rates = rates_EUR['rates']
    id = 1

    rates_new = ratesEUR(id=id, timestamp=timestamp, base=base, date=date, rates=rates)
    rates_new.save()

    return JsonResponse(data={})

Answer 2

Your real issue is that you're trying to run the views.py script directly, that isn't how django works, views are there to be accessed via a url that you have set.

Your two options,

• either call the view like normal with a url

• use the django shell

python manage.py shell

from .views import my_view
my_view(None)

Answer 3

First suggestion is to use from .models not from models, and second would be to indent the response so it lives in the view cos as it stands you'll get a syntax error after the problem on line 2 is passed.

What does settings.py look like? Did you add the app to the installed apps variable?